Culture

About a year ago, the Director of FXFOWLE's Interiors Studio, Guy Geier, invited Erica Godun and I to his office for a meeting on what we thought would be a standard product presentation from OFS. However, when we arrived we were both surprised and excited to learn that, in fact, the meeting was to discuss some initial concepts and plans for the New York City OFS Brands showroom, a showroom that we would be designing.

In case you're not familiar, OFS started as a family business making residential furniture for local businesses, and, after six generations, has grown to 1,700 employees; 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing facilities; and eight showrooms throughout the United States. The company comprises four smaller brands, each with their own distinctive design characteristics and marketing direction. There is OFS, the flagship corporate brand, which has established itself as a leader in high-quality workplace furniture; First Office, which focuses on system based workplace solutions with "value driven" orientation; Lowenstein, which, recently acquired by OFS, targets the hospitality sector; and finally, Carolina, which specializes in the healthcare market.

logo wall and entrance

Although every design project poses its own unique set of problems, designing a showroom space presents an especially singular challenge. Oftentimes, the design focus is on the program or layout, but for showrooms or retail spaces, special attention must be given to the products which will be displayed. In order to best showcase the clients' products, the designer needs to understand not only the project itself, but also the company's branding and marketing strategies in depth. It is essential to develop a close relationship with the marketing team and understand where they are now versus where they are heading in the future. In the end, the answers to these questions must be reflected in our design.

Entry seating area

There was a relevant article in Time magazine not too long ago that cited a research project on creativity and inspiration. The piece stated that most people think of inspiration as coming from a spontaneous instant (a literal "strike"), as opposed to a persistent and intentional search. I remembered the article because I found its argument particularly faulty. In my design work, I like to begin with an educated understanding subsequently paired with all unanswered questions. When we identify the right questions, the challenges are much easier to address and inspiration arises from the process.

With OFS, the questions we were mainly concerned with were:

1. How to portray the brand, product features, benefits, and value without overpowering the architectural background
2. How to remain open to ongoing changes in trends, displays, and events, while simultaneously maintaining a consistent storyline
3. How to showcase four distinct brands while reflecting each one's unique identity
4. How to connect the site and the community to the space and the brands

The solution was to create a simple white canvas filled with subtle textures that could be manipulated by light and shadow. The space is an easily flowing open area with white epoxy floor and white walls in various sheens. The existing waffle slab ceiling was exposed and also painted white to add an additional layer of texture and stimulation.

Showroom floor

All four different brands were situated throughout the showroom as a way of encouraging the boundless inspirations that overlapped throughout the different sectors of industry. Consistency in details, such as the horizontal lines repeating across the wall panels and the lighting embedded in the columns, proves a subtle nod to an easy visual flow, while at the same time, tying different areas of the space together.

After all was said and done, the OFS Showroom officially opened just a few months ago, and I could not be more pleased with the results, and the inspiration that befell us throughout the design process.

Showroom floor and conference room

by Moonhee Kang